Capacitor

ABSTRACT

A capacitor that includes a substrate, a lower electrode on the substrate, a dielectric film on the lower electrode, an upper electrode on a part of the dielectric film, a protective layer that covers the lower electrode and the upper electrode, and an external electrode that penetrates the protective layer. The external electrode is formed only in a region defined by a periphery of the upper electrode in a plan view of the capacitor viewed from an upper surface thereof towards the substrate.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 16/448,366, filed Jun. 21, 2019, which is a continuation of International application No. PCT/JP2018/026232, filed Jul. 11, 2018, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-144681, filed Jul. 26, 2017, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a capacitor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As a typical capacitor element for use in semiconductor integrated circuits, for example, a MIM (Metal Insulator Metal) capacitor is well known. The MIM capacitor is a capacitor that has a parallel plate-type structure with an insulator sandwiched between a lower electrode and an upper electrode.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for providing a thin film MIM capacitor that prevents insulation characteristics and leakage current characteristics from being degraded. The thin film MIM capacitor described in Patent Document 1 has a substrate, a lower electrode made of a noble metal formed on the substrate, a dielectric layer thin film formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode made of a noble metal formed on the dielectric thin film. The capacitor also includes an external electrode for electrically connecting the upper electrode and the lower electrode to the outside.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-109014

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, when the external electrode extends beyond a region where the upper electrode is formed, the external electrode and the lower electrode may come close to each other, thereby leading to capacitive coupling with a protective layer (also referred to as an interlayer film) interposed therebetween. As a result, parasitic capacitance made by the external electrode, the protective layer, and the lower electrode is generated, which is connected in parallel with the true capacitance made by the upper electrode, the dielectric film, and the lower electrode. In this specification, this parasitic capacitance is referred to as protective layer capacitance.

For example, in a capacitor that requires a Q value in an RF circuit, the presence of protective layer capacitance causes unnecessary parasitic capacitance in the capacitor, which in turn causes the Q value of the capacitor to be decreased. In addition, the protective layer capacitance fluctuates due to changes in properties of the protective layer material at high temperature or high humidity, which then causes the Q value of the capacitor to fluctuate.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a capacitor which has a high Q value even at high temperature or high humidity, with protective layer capacitance reduced.

A capacitor according to an aspect of the present invention includes a substrate, a lower electrode on the substrate, a dielectric film on the lower electrode, an upper electrode on a part of the dielectric film, a protective layer that covers the lower electrode and the upper electrode, and an external electrode that penetrates the protective layer. The external electrode is formed only in a region defined by a periphery of the upper electrode in a plan view of the capacitor viewed from an upper surface thereof towards the substrate.

According to the present invention, a capacitor can be provided which has a high Q value even at high temperature or high humidity, with protective layer capacitance reduced.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a capacitor according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a capacitor according to a comparative example.

FIG. 4 is a process cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a process cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a process cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a process cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a process cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a process cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a capacitor according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a top view of a capacitor according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the capacitance formed by the capacitor according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a top view of a capacitor according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the capacitance formed by the capacitor according to the fourth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a top view (i.e., plan view) of a capacitor according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the present embodiment. It is to be noted that the top view shown in FIG. 1 is not intended to directly show the appearance of the capacitor as viewed from above, but intended to show the layout of respective layers of the capacitor as viewed from above.

An insulating film 2 is formed on the substrate 1, and a lower electrode 3 is formed on the insulating film 2. A dielectric film 4 that covers the lower electrode 3 is formed on the insulating film 2 and the lower electrode 3. An upper electrode 5 is formed on a part of the dielectric film 4. A protective layer 6 that covers the lower electrode 3 and the upper electrode 5 is formed on the dielectric film 4 and the upper electrode 5. A first external electrode 7 a that penetrates the protective layer 6, and a second external electrode 7 b that penetrates the protective layer 6 and the dielectric film 4 are formed on the protective layer 6. The first external electrode 7 a is connected to the upper electrode 5, and the second external electrode 7 b is connected to the lower electrode 3. It is to be noted that the first external electrode 7 a and the second external electrode 7 b are simply referred to as an external electrode 7 in a case where it is not necessary to distinguish the electrodes.

According to the present embodiment, the first external electrode 7 a is formed only in a region defined by the periphery of the upper electrode 5 in the plan view (FIG. 1 ) of the capacitor viewed from above (external electrode side). Hereinafter, an example of the material and thickness of each layer constituting the capacitor according to the present embodiment will be described.

The material of the substrate 1 is not limited, but the substrate 1 is preferably a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon substrate or a gallium arsenide substrate, or an insulating substrate such as glass or alumina. For example, the long side length of the substrate 1 is 200 μm to 600 μm, and the short side length is 100 μm to 300 μm. In addition, the thickness of the substrate is not limited, but is preferably 500 μm or more and 700 μm or less. If the thickness of the substrate is smaller than 500 μm, the mechanical strength of the substrate is weakened, and thus, in the manufacture of a capacitor as described later, the wafer is cracked or chipped in the case of back grinding or cutting with a dicing machine. If the thickness of the substrate is larger than 700 μm, the thickness will be thicker than the vertical and horizontal lengths of the capacitor, thereby making it difficult to handle the capacitor in the case of mounting. In addition, the thickness of the whole capacitor including the substrate is preferably 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less.

The material of the insulating film 2 is not limited, but the insulating film 2 is preferably an insulating film made of SiO₂, SiN, Al₂O₃, HfO₂, Ta₂O₅, ZrO₂ or the like. The thickness of the insulating film is not limited, as long as the substrate and the capacitor formed on the substrate can be insulated, and the thickness is preferably 0.1 μm or more. The insulating film 2 can be formed by a sputtering method or a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method.

The material of the lower electrode 3 is not limited, but is preferably a metal made of Cu, Ag, Au, Al, Ni, Cr, Ti or the like, or a conductor containing these metals. The thickness of the lower electrode is not limited, but is preferably 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less, and more preferably 2 μm or more and 6 μm or less. If the lower electrode thickness is smaller than 0.5 μm, the resistance of the electrode is increased, thereby affect the high frequency characteristics of the capacitor. If the lower electrode thickness is larger than 10 μm, the stress of the electrode weakens the mechanical strength of the element, thereby possibly distorting the capacitor.

The material of the dielectric film 4 is not limited, but is preferably an oxide or a nitride such as SiO₂, SiN, Al₂O₃, HfO₂, Ta₂O₅, or ZrO₂. The thickness of the dielectric film is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 μm or more and 1.5 μm or less, and adjusted in accordance with a desired capacitance value. The dielectric film 4 can be formed by a sputtering method or a CVD method.

The material of the upper electrode 5 is not limited, but is preferably a metal made of Cu, Ag, Au, Al, Ni, Cr, Ti or the like, or a conductor containing these metals. The thickness of the upper electrode 5 is not limited, but is preferably 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less, more preferably 2 μm or more and 6 μm or less, for the same reason as the lower electrode 3, for the same reason as for the lower electrode 3. In addition, the thickness of the lower electrode 3 is preferably larger than the thickness of the upper electrode 5. The length of the lower electrode 3 is larger than the length of the upper electrode 5. The reason is that if the thickness of the lower electrode 3 is small, the equivalent series resistance (ESR) is increased.

The material of the protective layer 6 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a resin material such as polyimide. The thickness of the protective layer 6 is not limited, but is preferably 1 μm or more and 20 μm or less. If the thickness of the protective layer is smaller than 1 μm, it may be impossible to eliminate the level difference of the base, thereby possibly failing to obtain a smooth surface. When an attempt is made to make the thickness of the protective layer 6 larger than 20 μm, a high-viscosity protective layer material is required, which makes it difficult to control the thickness, thereby causing variation in capacitance. In addition, the periphery of the protective layer 6 may be located between an end of the substrate 1, cut with a dicing machine, and the side wall of the dielectric film 4 covering the lower electrode 3, as viewed from the top. The dielectric film on the side wall part of the lower electrode 3 may have a thickness made smaller, or the level-difference portion may have no dielectric film deposited, and in a case where the capacitor according to the present embodiment is mounted by soldering, the solder and the lower electrode 3 can be avoided from coming into contact with each other.

The material of the external electrode 7 is not limited, but is preferably a material that is lower in resistivity than the materials of the lower electrode 3 and the upper electrode 5, and preferably a metal made of Cu, Al or the like. This is because the material makes it possible to lower the resistance. In a case where mounting by soldering is assumed, the outermost surface of the external electrode 7 may be Au or Sn.

According to the present embodiment, the first external electrode 7 a is formed only in a region defined by the periphery of the upper electrode 5 in the plan view of the capacitor viewed from an upper surface thereof towards the substrate (FIG. 1 ). With this structure, the lines of electric force between the upper electrode 5 and the lower electrode 3 pass only through the dielectric film 4 when a voltage is applied. Since the first external electrode 7 a is not formed outside the upper electrode 5, the first external electrode 7 a is not capacitively coupled to the lower electrode 3 with the protective layer 6 interposed therebetween.

On the other hand, the structure of the comparative example shown in FIG. 3 has a first external electrode 7 a that extends to the outside of the upper electrode 5. Thus, when a voltage is applied, some of lines of electric force from the first external electrode 7 a pass through a protective layer 6, and then enter a lower electrode 3. As a result, a protective layer capacitance made by the first external electrode 7 a, the protective layer 6, and the lower electrode 3 is generated, the protective layer capacitance being connected in parallel with the true capacitance made by the upper electrode 5, the dielectric film 4, and the lower electrode 3. For example, in a capacitor that requires a high Q value in an RF circuit, the presence of protective layer capacitance causes unnecessary parasitic capacitance in the capacitor, which causes the Q value of the capacitor to be decreased. In addition, the protective layer capacitance fluctuates due to changes in properties of the protective layer material at high temperature or high humidity, which causes the Q value of the capacitor to fluctuate.

According to the present embodiment, the first external electrode 7 a and the lower electrode 3 are not capacitively coupled with the protective layer 6 interposed therebetween, thereby making it possible to eliminate the influence of the protective layer 6 from the Q value of the whole capacitor. Accordingly, the influence on the Q value can be eliminated, the influence being generated due to the parasitic capacitance of the protective layer 6 and the changes in the properties of the protective layer material (interlayer material) at high temperature or high humidity.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the upper electrode 5 and the lower electrode 3 are also not capacitively coupled with the substrate 1 interposed therebetween, the fluctuation in substrate capacitance will not affect the overall capacitance when a voltage is applied. As just described, the substrate capacitance is not apparent, thus making it possible to prevent the substrate capacitance from affecting the frequency characteristics of the overall capacitance.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the external electrode 7 is flattened in shape, without being formed on the side wall part of the protective layer 6. When the upper electrode 5 or the protective layer 6 has a level difference, the metal film that forms the external electrode 7 is broken at the level difference, or the electric field is concentrated on the level difference at the time of voltage application, which adversely affects the insulation tolerance of the capacitor. The present embodiment can suppress such a defect to improve the insulation tolerance of the capacitor.

Next, a method for manufacturing the capacitor according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the insulating film 2 is formed on the substrate 1. The insulating film 2 is preferably an insulating film made of SiO₂, SiN, or Al₂O₃. The insulating film 2 can be formed by a sputtering method or a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method. The thickness of the insulating film 2 is preferably 0.1 μm or more.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5 , a pattern for the lower electrode 3 is formed on the insulating film 2. For example, a metal made of Cu, Ag, Au, or Al, or a conductor containing these metals is deposited as the lower electrode 3. The thickness of the lower electrode 3 is preferably 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less, and more preferably 2 to 6 μm. Although there is no limitation on the method of pattern formation for the lower electrode 3, for example, a semi-additive method is used. In accordance with the semi-additive method, a seed layer is deposited by sputtering or electroless plating, a resist pattern for opening in a part of the seed layer is formed by a technique of photolithography, a lower electrode material is formed in the opening by electroless plating, the resist is stripped, and finally, the seed layer at the site where the lower electrode material is not formed is removed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6 , the dielectric film 4 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate including the region of the lower electrode 3, and patterning is carried out to form an opening 4 a for exposing a part of the dielectric film 4. As the dielectric film 4, for example, an oxide or nitride of SiO₂, SiN, Al₂O₃, HfO₂, Ta₂O₅, or the like is formed to have a thickness of 0.1 μm or more 1.5 μm or less. The dielectric film 4 can be formed by a sputtering method or a CVD method. The patterning is carried out by, for example, photolithography and etching.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7 , a pattern for the upper electrode 5 is formed on a part of the dielectric film 4. For example, a metal made of Cu, Ag, Au, or Al, or a conductor containing these metals is deposited as the upper electrode 5. The thickness of the upper electrode 5 is preferably 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less, and more preferably 2 to 6 μm. Although there is no limitation on the method of pattern formation for the upper electrode 5, for example, a semi-additive method is used as in the case of the lower electrode 3.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8 , the protective layer 6 is deposited, and subjected to patterning to form an opening 6 a for exposing the upper electrode 5 and an opening 6 b for exposing the dielectric film 4 in protective layer 6. For example, a resin material such as polyimide is deposited as the protective layer 6. The thickness of the protective layer 6 is preferably 1 to 20 μm. In the patterning, a resist pattern is formed on the protective layer 6 by a technique of photolithography, and unnecessary portions of the protective layer 6 are etched with the resist pattern as a mask.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9 , patterns for the first external electrode 7 a and the second external electrode 7 b are formed to fill the openings 6 a, 6 b of the protective layer 6, respectively. According to the present embodiment, the first external electrode 7 a is formed only in the region defined by the periphery of the upper electrode 5. Preferably, the external electrode 7 is formed only on the upper surface of the protective layer 6, and the external electrode 7 is not formed on the side wall of the protective layer 6. For example, Cu or Al is used as the external electrode 7. The external electrode 7 made of Cu or Al can be formed by sputtering or plating. In addition, the external electrode 7 is preferably plated with Ni/Au. Although there is no limitation on the method of pattern formation for the external electrode 7, for example, a semi-additive method is used, as in the case of the lower electrode 3.

The capacitor according to the present embodiment is manufactured in the way described above.

Second Embodiment

In the second embodiment and the subsequent sections, descriptions of common matters with the first embodiment will be omitted, and only differences will be described. Particularly, the similar functions and effects achieved by similar configurations will not be mentioned sequentially for each embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a capacitor according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the second embodiment.

The capacitor according to the second embodiment includes, as an upper electrode, a first upper electrode 5 a and a second upper electrode 5 b separately formed on a dielectric film 4. An external electrode 7 includes a first external electrode 7 a connected to the first upper electrode 5 a and a second external electrode 7 b connected to the second upper electrode 5 b. The first external electrode 7 a is formed only in the region defined by the periphery of the first upper electrode 5 a, and the second external electrode 7 b is formed only in the region defined by the periphery of the second upper electrode 5 b.

The capacitor according to the second embodiment is a capacitor in which two capacitors formed between the first upper electrode 5 a and the lower electrode 3 and between the second upper electrode 5 b and the lower electrode 3 are connected in series. Accordingly, the combined capacitance of the capacitors is smaller than the capacitance value of each capacitor.

In the capacitor according to the first embodiment, in the case of configuring a low-capacitance capacitor, there is a need to reduce the area of the upper electrode 5, thereby possibly making it difficult to form the first external electrode 7 a only in the region defined by the periphery of the upper electrode 5. On the other hand, according to the second embodiment, even in the case of forming a low-capacitance capacitor, there is no need to reduce the areas of the upper electrodes 5 a, 5 b, thereby making it possible to form the external electrodes 7 a, 7 b only in the areas defined by the peripheries of the upper electrodes 5 a, 5 b. As a result, the external electrodes 7 a, 7 b and the lower electrode 3 are not capacitively coupled with the protective layer 6 interposed therebetween, thus making it possible to prevent the Q value of the capacitor from being decreased due to the protective layer capacitance.

In addition, the capacitor according to the second embodiment has a bilaterally symmetrical structure, and it is thus not necessary to care about the capacitor orientation at the time of packaging or mounting. In addition, since the effective dielectric film thickness is doubled, the insulation can be improved.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 12 is a top view of a capacitor according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the capacitance formed by the capacitor according to the third embodiment.

Unlike the second embodiment, the capacitor according to the third embodiment includes, as a lower electrode, a first lower electrode 3 a and a second lower electrode 3 b separately formed on the insulating film 2. A dielectric film 4 is formed so as to surround the upper and side surfaces of the two lower electrodes 3 a, 3 b. According to the third embodiment, a first upper electrode 5 a formed on the first lower electrode 3 a, a second upper electrode 5 b formed on the second lower electrode 3 b, and a third upper electrode 5 c formed across the first lower electrode 3 a and the second lower electrode 3 b are formed as an upper electrode.

As shown in FIG. 14 , according to the third embodiment, a capacitor C1 composed of the first lower electrode 3 a and the first upper electrode 5 a, and a capacitor C2 composed of the first lower electrode 3 a and the third upper electrode 5 c, a capacitor C3 composed of the second lower electrode 3 b and the third upper electrode 5 c, and a capacitor C4 composed of the second lower electrode 3 b and the second upper electrode 5 b are formed. The capacitors C1 to C4 are connected in series as a whole capacitor.

According to the third embodiment, without reducing the areas of the upper electrodes 5 a, 5 b, a capacitor that is much lower in capacitance than the second embodiment can be achieved while keeping the external electrodes 7 a, 7 b configured to be formed only in the regions defined by the peripheries of the upper electrodes 5 a, 5 b. As a result, a low-capacitance capacitor can be provided which has a high Q value even at high temperature or high humidity, with protective layer capacitance reduced.

In addition, as in the second embodiment, the capacitor according to the third embodiment has a bilaterally symmetrical structure, and it is thus not necessary to care about the capacitor orientation at the time of packaging or mounting. In addition, since the effective dielectric film thickness is quadrupled, the insulation can be improved.

Fourth Embodiment

FIG. 15 is a top view of a capacitor according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the capacitor according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the capacitance formed by the capacitor according to the fourth embodiment.

The capacitor according to the fourth embodiment has, without the first upper electrode 5 a and the upper electrode 5 b according to the third embodiment, a first external electrode 7 a and a second external electrode 7 b respectively connected to a first lower electrode 3 a and a second lower electrode 3 b.

More specifically, the capacitor according to the fourth embodiment includes a substrate 1, an insulating film 2 formed on the substrate 1, a first lower electrode 3 a and a second lower electrode 3 b formed apart from each other on the substrate 1, and a dielectric film 4 formed on the first lower electrode 3 a and the second lower electrode 3 b, an upper electrode 5 c formed on the dielectric film 4 across the first lower electrode 3 a and the second lower electrode 3 b, a protective layer 6 that covers the lower electrodes 3 a, 3 b and the upper electrode 5 c, and the first external electrode 7 a and the second external electrode 7 b connected through the protective layer 6 respectively to the first lower electrode 3 a and the second lower electrode 3 b. Further, the first external electrode 7 a and the second external electrode 7 b are formed so as not to overlap with the upper electrode 5 c in the plan view of the capacitor viewed from an upper surface thereof towards the substrate (FIGS. 15 and 16 ).

As shown in FIG. 17 , according to the fourth embodiment, a capacitor C5 composed of the first lower electrode 3 a and the upper electrode 5 c and a capacitor C6 composed of the second lower electrode 3 b and the upper electrode 5 c are formed. The capacitors C5, C6 are connected in series as a whole capacitor.

According to the fourth embodiment, the external electrodes 7 a, 7 b are connected to the lower electrodes 3 a, 3 b, and there is thus no parasitic capacitance generated by the protective layer 6 sandwiched between the external electrodes 7 a, 7 b and the lower electrodes 3 a, 3 b. As a result, a low-capacitance capacitor can be provided which has a high Q value even at high temperature or high humidity, with protective layer capacitance reduced.

In addition, as in the second embodiment, the capacitor according to the fourth embodiment has a bilaterally symmetrical structure, and it is thus not necessary to care about the capacitor orientation at the time of packaging or mounting. In addition, since the effective dielectric film thickness is doubled, the insulation can be improved.

Further, as in the third and fourth embodiments, the numbers of lower electrodes and upper electrodes are increased between the two external electrodes 7 a and 7 b, and connected in series, thereby making it possible to prepare a low-capacitance capacitor. The numbers of upper and lower electrodes are not limited to two, and more electrodes can be formed. In addition, the external electrodes may be connected to either the upper electrode or the lower electrode without any problem, and one of the two external electrodes may be connected to the upper electrode, whereas the other may be connected to the lower electrode.

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above.

The capacitor according to the present embodiment includes the substrate 1, the lower electrode 3 formed on the substrate 1, the dielectric film 4 formed on the lower electrode 3, the upper electrode 5 formed on a part of the dielectric film 4, the protective layer 6 that covers the lower electrode 3 and the upper electrode 5, and the external electrode 7 a that penetrates the protective layer 6. The external electrode 7 a is formed only in the region defined by the periphery of the upper electrode 5 in the plan view of the capacitor viewed from the upper surface thereof towards the substrate (FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The above-mentioned configuration can eliminate the influence of the protective layer 6 from the Q value of the whole capacitor, because there is no capacitive coupling with the protective layer 6 interposed. Accordingly, the influence on the Q value can be eliminated, the influence being generated due to the parasitic capacitance of the protective layer 6 and the changes in the properties of the interlayer film material at high temperature or high humidity.

In addition, the upper electrode may include the first upper electrode 5 a and the second upper electrode 5 b formed separately, whereas the external electrode may include the first external electrode 7 a connected to the first upper electrode 5 a and the second external electrode 7 b connected to the second upper electrode 5 b, and the first external electrode 7 a may be formed only in the region defined by the periphery of the first upper electrode 5 a, whereas the second external electrode 7 b may be formed only in the region defined by the periphery of the second upper electrode 5 b (FIGS. 10 and 11 ). Thus, two capacitors formed between the first upper electrode 5 a and the lower electrode 3 and between the second upper electrode 5 b and the lower electrode 3 are connected in series, thereby making the combined capacitance of the capacitors lower than the capacitance value of the capacitor. Accordingly, a low-capacitance capacitor can be prepared without reducing the areas of the upper electrodes 5 a and 5 b. In addition, the effective dielectric film thickness is increased, thereby making it possible to increase the insulation tolerance.

In addition, the lower electrode may include the first lower electrode 3 a and second lower electrode 3 b formed separately, and the upper electrode may include the first upper electrode 5 a formed on the first lower electrode 3 a, the second upper electrode 5 b formed on the second lower electrode 3 b, and the third upper electrode 5 c formed across the first lower electrode 3 a and the second lower electrode 3 b (FIGS. 12 and 13 ). Thus, the capacitors C1 to C4 are connected in series (FIG. 14 ), thereby making it possible to prepare a low-capacitance capacitor without reducing the areas of the upper electrodes 5 a, 5 b.

In addition, the capacitor according to another embodiment include the substrate 1, the first lower electrode 3 a and the second lower electrode 3 b formed apart from each other on the substrate 1, the dielectric film 4 formed on the first lower electrode 3 a and the second lower electrode 3 b, the upper electrode 5 c formed on the dielectric film 4 across the first lower electrode 3 a and the second lower electrode 3 b, the protective layer 6 that covers the lower electrodes 3 a, 3 b and the upper electrode 5 c, and the first external electrode 7 a and the second external electrode 7 b connected through the protective layer 6 respectively to the first lower electrode 3 a and the second lower electrode 3 b, and the first external electrode 7 a and the second external electrode 7 b are formed so as not to overlap the upper electrode 5 c in the plan view of the capacitor viewed from the upper surface thereof towards the substrate (FIGS. 15 and 16 ). The above-mentioned configuration can eliminate the influence of the protective layer 6 from the Q value of the whole capacitor, because there is no capacitive coupling with the protective layer 6 sandwiched. Accordingly, the influence on the Q value can be eliminated, the influence being generated due to the parasitic capacitance of the protective layer 6 and the changes in the properties of the interlayer film material at high temperature or high humidity.

It is to be noted that the respective embodiments described above are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, but not intended to construe the present invention in any limited way. Modifications and/or improvements can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention encompasses equivalents thereof. More specifically, the scope of the present invention also encompasses therein the respective embodiments with design changes appropriately made thereto by one skilled in the art, as long as the embodiments have the features of the present invention. For example, the respective elements included in the respective embodiments, and the layout, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, and the like of the elements are not to be considered limited to those exemplified, but can be changed appropriately. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the drawings are not to be considered limited to the illustrated ratios. Furthermore, obviously, the following respective embodiments are considered by way of example, and it is possible to partially substitute or combine configurations presented in the different embodiments, and the scope of the present invention encompasses therein the foregoing substitutions and combinations, as long as the substitutions and the combinations include the features of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

-   -   1: Substrate     -   2: Insulating film     -   3, 3 a, 3 b: Lower electrode     -   4: Dielectric film     -   4 a: Opening     -   5, 5 a, 5 b, 5 c: Upper electrode     -   6: Protective layer     -   6 a, 6 b: Opening     -   7, 7 a, 7 b: External electrode 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A capacitor comprising: a substrate; a lower electrode on the substrate; a dielectric film on the lower electrode; an upper electrode on a part of the dielectric film; a protective layer covering the lower electrode and the upper electrode, wherein the dielectric layer and the protective layer define an opening to the lower electrode; a first external electrode that penetrates the protective layer and is electrically connected to the upper electrode, and wherein the first external electrode is formed only in a region defined by a periphery of the upper electrode in a plan view of the capacitor viewed from an upper surface thereof towards the substrate; and a second external electrode that penetrates the protective layer and the dielectric film and is electrically connected to the lower electrode, the second external electrode is in contact with the dielectric film and includes a portion on an upper surface of the protective layer remote from the substrate, and the second external electrode extends into the opening to the lower electrode defined by the dielectric layer and the protective layer such that only the protective layer and the dielectric layer are between the lower electrode and the portion of the second external electrode on the upper surface of the protective layer remote from the substrate.
 2. The capacitor according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric film covers upper and side surfaces of the lower electrode.
 3. The capacitor according to claim 1, further comprising an insulating film between the substrate and the lower electrode.
 4. The capacitor according to claim 1, wherein a material of the upper electrode is a metal or a conductor containing the metal.
 5. The capacitor according to claim 1, wherein a material of the protective layer is a resin material.
 6. A method of manufacturing a capacitor, the method comprising: forming a lower electrode on a substrate; forming a dielectric film on the lower electrode; forming an upper electrode on a part of the dielectric film; covering the lower electrode and the upper electrode with a protective layer wherein the dielectric layer and the protective layer define an opening to the lower electrode; forming a first external electrode only in a region defined by a periphery of the upper electrode in a plan view of the capacitor viewed from an upper surface thereof towards the substrate, the first external electrode penetrating the protective layer and being electrically connected to the upper electrode pattern; and forming a second external electrode in contact with the dielectric film, the second external electrode penetrating the protective layer and the dielectric film and being electrically connected to the lower electrode pattern, the second external electrode including a portion on an upper surface of the protective layer remote from the substrate, and the second external electrode extending into the opening to the lower electrode defined by the dielectric layer and the protective layer such that only the protective layer and the dielectric layer are between the lower electrode and the portion of the second external electrode on the upper surface of the protective layer remote from the substrate.
 7. The method of manufacturing a capacitor according to claim 6, wherein the dielectric film is formed so as to cover upper and side surfaces of the lower electrode.
 8. The method of manufacturing a capacitor according to claim 6, further comprising forming an insulating film between the substrate and the lower electrode.
 9. The method of manufacturing a capacitor according to claim 6, wherein a material of the upper electrode is a metal or a conductor containing the metal.
 10. The method of manufacturing a capacitor according to claim 6, wherein a material of the protective layer is a resin material. 